Poor dispersion of carbon-based nanomaterials in different media is the biggest obstacle in their wide-spread application. Chemical functionalization is one of the most common methods to increase nanomaterials' dispersibility and for forming a homogeneous suspension. Despite relative improvement in dispersion, long processing time and low efficiency are two distinct disadvantages of utilizing this method. In addition, using strong acid solvents in chemical functionalization approaches damages the structure of nanomaterials and adversely impacts their extraordinary properties.
Electrochemical functionalization method with a relatively lower destructivity may be regarded as an alternative to chemical methods. Although this method causes less destruction on CNTs and has lower cost of equipment, its low efficiency is a drawback.
The low efficiency of electrochemical methods may be due to the fact that most electrochemical functionalization methods require an electrode to be made of nanomaterials. Since the fabricated electrode is made of compacted nanomaterials, functionalization occurs on a fairly thin layer of electrode. Therefore, a high proportion of nanomaterials remain intact during electrochemical functionalization, which results in a significant decrease in efficiency. There is, therefore, a need in the art for methods that improve the efficiency of the electrochemical functionalization method.